The Runner

It was a beautiful fall day today.  So I wanted to write a small piece just to remember this fine day.  It was sunny and 65 degrees.  After work it was time to go for a run.  So into the car and down to the trail I went.  The conditions were absolutely perfect to run.  The run itself was exhilarating.  My mind just focused on the task at hand.  Gliding effortlessly, one foot in front of the other, perfect motion.  It seemed like I could go forever.  I never really got tired.  Then it was over after 4.5 miles.  I felt euphoric, elated and so satisfied in the moment.  Today was sublime and the reason why I love to run

My run made me think of the song "The Runner" by Manfred Mann.
And wouldn't you know, today just happened to be Manfred Mann's birthday.  This day I was "The Runner" and it was splendid.
 

The Empty Room

I saw in the paper today The Barenaked Ladies were appearing in concert this evening in Pittsburgh.  I didn't even know they were still around.  What caught my eye was the lead singer Steven Page was no longer with the group.  I have no real interest in their music at all but I thought it was interesting they were carrying on without him.  How many bands can really survive without the lead singer who was there when they became famous.  I actually watched part of a concert of theirs years ago and thought Steven Page looked rather silly on the stage but who am I to criticize a band playing in front of 10,000 fans.

So all of this made me think of another band that lost its lead singer (after they became semi famous) and tried to carry on.  That would be the one and only Wall of Voodoo.  After their semi underground hit  "Mexican Radio", lead singer Stan Ridgway left the band.  What the hell happened to him after that?  Well some of the boys in Wall of Voodoo decided to carry on.  They made several albums but were unable to recreate the success of the "Mexican Radio" era.

I actually like the above song "The Empty Room".  Which was on the "Happy Planet" album, after Ridgway left the band.  It kinda pertains to me in a sad and pathetic way.  I sit in empty rooms a great deal.  I have alot of time to contemplate things, so these are the kinds of musings that go on in my warped mind. 

Morrissey's Autobiography came out today but it is not available in the USA.  So until then I will have to ponder the predicamants of The Barenaked Ladies and Wall of Voodoo.

The World is Collapsing around our ears

 

I was watching a show about problems in the Black community for young black men and the portrayals of today's Rap artists glorifying the thug lifestyle.  The show centered on a group of underground rappers doing political and thought provoking stuff that doesn't promote a violent lifestyle.  They had in the background of one shot a Pic of KRS One, which made me think of this song......

 

I Know Its Over

Its hard to believe.  My favorite time of the year is over. It seems like it never really even began.  Summer goes by so quickly.  Each day is a new adventure and a potential for new possibilities.  Summer is life, warmth and growth.

It was a great season of tennis, running, enjoyment of warmth and being outside.  So my tennis season went
quite well.  There is nothing more satisfying to me than being on the tennis court on a beautiful summer evening.  No troubles, no worries, no stress.....just me and the ball...  focus and concentration... the beauty of sport... being with my friends.  All good things come to an end, so alas has this summer.

The fall isn't so bad.  What's bad is what comes after fall.  I absolutely despise winter.  It is my enemy.  Winter is cold, death and loneliness.  Soon the leaves will be gone from the trees.  The birds will migrate and the landscape will be barren.  The time goes by so slow, the 3 months of winter are an eternity.

Last week was my first Ice hockey game of the season.  It actually was pretty fun.  I would rather play tennis in a heartbeat though.  I like playing ice Hockey a lot.... I LOVE playing tennis.  Ice Hockey gets me through the winter.  I lean on playing Hockey to make the winter more bearable.  Thank God I have that or I would seriously go out of my mind.

Its quite pathetic,  each day I wake up in the winter, I count in my head the number of days till May begins.
My sad saga continues.  The parts of life I truly enjoy are few and far between.  These bits of life pass so quickly, I never seem to get to enjoy them enough and then they are so quickly gone.  It seems  I'm always left staring at the parts of life I find distasteful.  Will it ever change?